


Pick me up

by loonymoonyfics



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Marine Corps, Reader is a Marine, katakuri is a gift
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:28:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26192656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonymoonyfics/pseuds/loonymoonyfics
Summary: Reader returns home from a mission, in which she lost her entire squad to the war.
Relationships: Charlotte Katakuri & Reader, Charlotte Katakuri/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Pick me up

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again!  
> I've been feeling a bit down lately (aren't we all), so I wrote this little piece for my soul. I hope you enjoy it.  
> Moon is the default name I use for the Reader character. Feel free to copy the text in your text editor and replace it with whatever you prefer.

Katakuri was at the harbor an hour earlier than he was supposed to be. That time around, he brought nothing with him; no teddy bears, no flowers. Her letter arrived the day before, asking him to come empty handed. He didn't understand why, but he wouldn't deny her request. Moon had been away for months, and all he wanted was to have her in his arms as soon as possible anyway. The gifts could wait at home. 

He had been feeling uneasy for the past week. Every morning he'd wake up with a heavy heart, the dull pain in his chest making him worry if his wife would come back whole.

Or at all.

When her letter came, he could finally sleep properly. And yet, the nagging feeling remained.

As the ship continued to approach from the distance, Katakuri felt as if all his nerves were exposed, and someone used them as guitar strings. He willed the damn thing to move faster, for the sea waves to help it along. A tight, ugly knot appeared in his gut, and he feared for a moment that it wasn't his wife who wrote to him.

He took a deep breath. Then he let it out slowly. 

Moon was already a Private when the two of them met. By the time they married, she was promoted to a Sergeant and assigned a squad of 12 people. He knew she had lost friends regardless of their ranks, and with each mission his fear of losing her grew bigger. They weren't even married for a full year when she was sent to the battlefield, and Katakuri assumed that was why he was so upset. 

The large man was lost in thought when the ship finally docked and people started returning to their respective families. Shaking his head slightly to clear his mind, his eyes frantically searched for her face in the crowd. 

His chest constricted the moment he found her. Her eyes, always filled with warmth and kindness, were instead swollen and red, the previously sparkling orbs cast firmly to the ground beneath her feet. 

The pain oozing from her felt the same way as the dull ache he was feeling the entire week. 

\- Pick me up. - she said softly, without raising her head. - Please. -

Silently, he did as she asked, letting her wrap her legs around his waist. Moon would only ask for such a thing when she needed comfort, and Katakuri was more than happy to provide. 

\- What happened? - he took away her large backpack and carried it on his shoulder as he walked to their car. His thumb kept drawing soothing circles on her back as her arms wrapped even tighter around his neck.

\- They're dead. - her voice was a pained whisper. - My squad... They... -

\- Are you injured? - he asked when she didn't continue.

\- No. - she shook her head as he placed her on the passenger seat. Katakuri fastened her seat belt and closed the door, then hurried to his side. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as he started the engine.

\- I'm listening if you're ready to talk. -

She remained silent instead, her eyes cast to her hands as they rested on her lap. The drive home was blissfully quick, the streets empty enough for him to weave through the traffic, only slightly above the speed limit.

At home, he dropped her backpack on the floor by the couch, then carried her straight to the backyard. The jacuzzi they bought the previous year was already prepared for the two of them. Carefully, he undressed both of them, and eased slowly into the warm water.

His long fingers removed the tie from her hair, allowing it to tickle his chest as he leaned her back against his torso. His strong arms circled her smaller frame, offering as much comfort as possible.

\- One of the men in the middle stepped on a landmine. -

\- Landmine? -

\- We had to pass through. We knew there was a landmine somewhere, but we didn't have a choice. We were surrounded. - she sniffled, looking at her palms again. - I went first, to try and find a safe route. They were supposed to follow my path once I found it, but he... God, Katakuri, someone nearly shot him, and he staggered... -

\- Did he not hear the mine trigger under his foot? - he cupped the water in his palm to wash her hair with it.

\- He was still new, and he panicked. The guy behind him tried to stop him, but he moved too fast. - a sob escaped her lips. - The guy at the front survived the explosion, but died two days later. Internal bleeding. -

After a few silent minutes, he placed a kiss on the top of her head. - I'm glad you're alive. -

\- I don't deserve to be. -

\- Of course you do. - he moved her a little so she'd sit sideways, then had her look at him. - You did everything you could to keep them safe. It wasn't your fault. And even if it was, you would still deserve to live. -

\- I see them. - she looked terrified and broken. - When I close my eyes. I haven't slept since. -

\- Moon... - Katakuri let her hide in the crook of his neck. He had never seen her in such a state. She had lost people before, but it was never like that, never all at once. If there was something he could do aside from comforting her the way he was trying to, he wasn't aware of it.

Hours have passed by the time she finally stilled and relaxed in his hold. Katakuri continued whispering sweet nothings into her ear, even though she was asleep. Her eyes moved like pinballs underneath her closed lids, and he knew she wasn't really resting. Only when the erratic movement stopped did he finally take her out of the water.

Carefully, he dried their bodies as well as he could, considering he only had one free arm. Then, he went to their bedroom. He eased down onto the bed, allowing her to sleep on top of him. With the difference in size between the two, her weight didn't bother him at all. 

He was pulling the covers over her back when she raised her head to look at him. Her sleepy, pained eyes had some of that warmth back as they met his.

\- Thank you. - she whispered. - For still looking at me like that. -

\- Like what? - he wasn't sure if she was rambling in her sleep or not.

\- Like I'm the most amazing thing in the world. -

\- You are. - he kissed her forehead. - Always have been. -

\- You still think so? -

\- Of course I do. - his thumb wiped her damp cheek. - That won't change. -

\- Even if I stop making you doughnuts? - she tried to smile a little.

Katakuri wasn't sure if he was in awe of her or heartbroken, knowing she was trying to make him smile even as she was breaking in his arms.

\- Now you're pushing it. - he teased, making her giggle, then sniffle. - Sleep, wife. -

\- I'm scared. - she admitted, burying her nose back into the crook of his neck.

\- No need to be. - his fingers tangled in her hair as his other arm wrapped protectively around her torso. - I'll pick you up in the morning, too. -

**Author's Note:**

> Your feedback means the world to me, as always. 
> 
> For requests, you can find me on Tumblr under the same name.
> 
> Until next time! :)


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